Voice of America
22 Sep 2022, 18:11 GMT+10
Numerous Russians have rushed to reserve one-way tickets out of the country after President Vladimir Putin decreed a partial mobilization of military reservists for the war in Ukraine.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a televised interview that 300,000 reservists with relevant combat and service experience would initially be mobilized.
Ticket prices skyrocketed amid apparent fears that Russia's borders could soon close or that Putin might announce a general mobilization.
Large numbers of Russians have already left the country since Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine almost seven months ago.
Air Serbia, the only European carrier besides Turkish Airlines to maintain flights to Russia despite a European Union flight embargo, saw tickets for the Moscow-Belgrade flight quickly sell out for the next several days, while the price for flights from Moscow to Istanbul or Dubai reached as much as $9,119 for a one-way, economy-class fare.
A Belgrade-based group called Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, and Serbs Together Against War tweeted that there were no available flights to Belgrade from Russia until mid-October. It said flights to Turkey, Georgia, and Armenia also sold out.
Russians can enter Serbia without a visa. Belgrade has not joined Western sanctions against Russia for its aggression in Ukraine.
Allies such as Belarus and China also have not imposed sanctions on Russia.
Some social media postings alleged people already had been turned back from Russia's land border with Georgia and that the website of the state Russian railway company had collapsed because too many people were checking for ways out of the country.
Some information in this report came from Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press and Reuters.
Get a daily dose of Poland Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Poland Sun.
More InformationDUBLIN, Ireland: More than a millennium after they were carried abroad for safekeeping, a collection of early Irish monastic manuscripts...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Disinformation poses a growing threat to democracy and must be addressed with urgency, Media Minister Patrick O'Donovan...
DUBLIN, Ireland: University College Cork (UCC) saw a 26 percent jump in staff earning over 100,000 euros last year, with the number...
DUBLIN, Ireland: One in three people killed or seriously injured on Irish roads in 2025 have been under the age of 30, according to...
LONDON - Google is facing a multibillion-pound legal challenge in the UK over allegations it misused its dominance in online search...
Lyft is making its first move into Europe with the purchase of mobility platform FreeNow, a nearly $200 million deal that signals a...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: In November, a passenger plane was about to land at San Francisco airport when the pilots suddenly saw a drone flying...
LAHORE, Pakistan: A Christian man in the town of Jaranwala, in eastern Pakistan, will appeal a death sentence given to him by an anti-terrorism...
CUTID, Philippines: On April 18, Good Friday, Christian believers in the Philippines were nailed to crosses in a reenactment of Jesus...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The United States will limit visas for more than 250 officials from Nicaragua, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio...
LANSING, Michigan: The Health Department in Michigan confirmed a measles outbreak in Montcalm County this week, marking the first such...
WASHINGTON, D.C. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on May 15 about President Donald Trump's attempt to restrict automatic...